Thorns on a Leaf
by MushroomT
Summary: I’m nothing to her but a fellow Clanmate. But maybe someday--someday on the distant horizon--maybe we’ll be together.


**Hey guys, this is just a little something I whipped up at school when I was bored. This crack pairing seems kind of popular, and I thought it would be fun to write about, so I did. Hope you like it!**

He's standing right in front of me and I can't breathe. One big, tawny paw is stuck under my nose, and blood is leaking from it. A thorn is protruding from his soft pink pad, sticking out like a badger's snout from its set. He's brandishing it at me, saying over and over again:

"Leafpool, the thorn, it hurts. Will you please pull it out?"

A thorn… A thorn, and Thornclaw. Thornclaw… His name nearly escapes out of my maw. I dream of him. Unlike most medicine cats, Thornclaw, not StarClan, pads with me through my dreams. I lust; pine for the touch of his pelt. I wish, no, I _long_ for him to curl himself around me, I long to hear his throaty purr vibrate next to my ear. I hope with all my heart that a day will come when he feels the same, so that he will twine his tail with mine. StarClan? I will face their wrath without complaint if it means the two of us can be together.

"Leafpool."

His voice brings me back to reality.

"Cobwebs?"

"No," he says slowly, as though he finds me stupid, "I need you to pull out the thorn."

He then adds a bit more gently, "Cobwebs later."

I feel hot underneath my fur. My ears flush red, and I hope to StarClan that he doesn't notice. I quickly lean over and begin working on the base of the thorn, trying to make the extraction as quick and painless as possible. He grimaces, and, on an impulse, I press my nose gently to his pad, pink-on-pink. It's a light touch, more for my benefit than his. I hadn't meant for him to feel it.

But he did.

??

Thornclaw pulls back from me, a startled look painted across his sparkling green eyes. He slams his injured paw down on the ground- too fast, if you ask me- as though it's tainted. He stumbles around, lurching away from me at an obviously painful gait. I feel hurt- does he find me disgusting? I feel hot tears pricking at my eyes, and I too spin around and race back to my den. I thank StarClan that Jaypaw is out searching for coltsfoot- something about him disturbs me. It's as if he can always tell what I'm feeling, and, as silly as it sounds, what I'm thinking. Suddenly exhausted, I collapse in my mossy nest. I let out a low moan- how could I have been so stupid and selfish to try something as risky as touching my nose to his pad? It would be fine for any other warrior- but not for me, and Thornclaw knows it.

I hope that he doesn't tell Firestar. StarClan knows I've acted fool enough- not a day goes by without my being reminded of my illicit affair with Crowfeather. That still hurts- the fact that he mated with Nightcloud. And Breezepaw- what am I supposed to think of him? He's a harmless kit- a bit arrogant perhaps, but harmless. Yet I can't suppress a grudge against the little apprentice- he looks so like his father.

I remember the starry nights I spent with Crowfeather- his fur pressed against mine, our eyes locked together like a rock clings to a wall. I'm drowning in memories- the days I'd dream of him, the nights I'd spent with him, especially that one night in which we mated. I'd never felt high like that before. It sounds so wrong for a cat like me- a medicine cat, whose mate _should_ be StarClan- to enjoy, even _treasure_ primal things like mating. But we medicine cats can't control our feelings- no matter what any cat may tell you. And I can't help but think- could I spend a night like that with Thornclaw?

He's such a good warrior: always hunting and patrolling for his Clan- defending us with every fiber of his being. And his golden fur, the way it ripples over his muscles like liquid sunshine- it sets me aflame. Those green eyes- how they sparkle like StarClan! And the way he holds his tail- always high, always free, always in the lead, and how he lifts his paws- _his paws!_ It's then that I remember the blood leaking from his pads- and I'm struck with concern. I leap from my nest and dash to the niches in which I keep herbs. Quickly, I wrap a thick wad of cobwebs around my small paw and stumble, three-legged, towards the entrance. It's then that I fall headfirst into a huge tawny shape. Thornclaw.

"Hey," he says in his husky voice that's soft at the same time- a sound that I've memorized and so cherish.

"Hi," I say, trying to sound cheerful.

I've never felt so fake and lame.

"Er- Can-can I have some cobwebs?" he asks, sounding uncertain.

"Certainly," I reply, as though nothing happened, motioning with my nose for him to lift his injured paw again.

He hesitates, as though he expects me to do something crazy and stupid and careless like last time. Finally, gingerly, he lifts his foot. A huge red indent is smack in the middle of his paw. The blood has dried and caked around his pad, and I wonder why he really _needs_ cobwebs. Then it occurs to me- might he have come to see me? The hope is almost too much to even think about. As gently as I can, I press the cobwebs to his paw. When I'm done, I look up to stare wistfully into his green eyes. They flash at me for a moment, and the message is clear. He doesn't want me. He never has.

??

A few days later, I watch Thornclaw pad out of camp. His limp is gone, and he's leading a patrol, as usual. With him are Lionpaw, Ashfur, and Hazeltail. I quickly note the closeness of Hazeltail and Thornclaw. They're so close that their pelts are almost touching! Surely, _surely_ he can't care for her more than he cares for me? I cringe, knowing how selfish I sound. Is it wrong to want something you can never have? It feels so right, and yet… I feel angry at Hazeltail. Isn't she a bit young for him?! But I can't be mad at Thornclaw. Just the sight of his unnatural beauty… His legs are so long and lanky, but _so_ beautifully shaped. His tail is wonderfully sculpted and I hear, although it has not been confirmed, that the great warrior Lionheart was his father. Sandstorm, my mother, described Lionheart to me as handsome and strong, loyal and brave. That certainly fit Thornclaw. My heart longed for him. But it wasn't meant to be.

??

I'm on a patrol again, and I'm not focusing. Instead of marking the WindClan boundary, like I said I would, I've gone off to find a thorn to press to my pad, just so that maybe I could see Leafpool again. I'm not having much luck. But I carry on, undeterred, for I am determined to get her to want me like I want her. I know it goes against the Warrior Code to take a medicine cat as a mate, but I want her _so bad._ I think what my brother, Brackenfur would say, what Brightheart would say, StarClan, what _Cinderpelt_ would say. I wanted to mate with Leafpool, my sister's own apprentice! Of course, Cinderpelt is long gone, but what would she and Frostfur say when I joined them in StarClan? Or, if I truly took Leafpool as a mate, if she were to, StarClan forbid, bear my kits, what would happen?

Would StarClan even admit me to their ranks?

It seemed to me, however, that if I could be with Leafpool, I could face anything, even an eternity of walking through the skies alone. How I loved her tabby pelt, her glittering amber eyes, how I loved the softness of her voice, and the way her whiskers twitched when she saw a kit playing in the dust! I needed her. Badly. But I didn't have a chance, so why was I even bothering? I had no clue why I was, it was just so- well, it was just something I needed to do, to keep my mind occupied. I remember when she pressed her nose to my pad- I was so surprised and embarrassed that I had turned and run away!

"Thornclaw!" Hazeltail calls urgently, sounding far away.

I cringe. What does she want with me, anyway? It's pretty obvious she likes me, but can't she see I don't feel the same? All I want to think about is that thorn in my pad from three dawns ago. I felt so foolish, so I went to her den to apologize. But when she looked up at me with those big amber eyes, her message was pretty obvious. I'm nothing to her but a fellow Clanmate. But maybe someday- someday on the distant horizon- maybe we'll be together.

**So, did you like it? I love the way it turned out. Leave a review and tell me your thoughts! If you do, I'll email you some cookies! Well, thanks for reading this little oneshot!**


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